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Monday, December 08, 2008

December 7, 2008: Vegan sausage rolls

   

I've been devoted to Liz O'Brien's recipe for vegetarian 'sausage' rolls longer than I've been vegetarian. Not only are they guaranteed gristle-free, but they taste as good as real sausage rolls (perhaps better!) and only require ingredients that you can find readily in a supermarket. I've cooked them for birthdays and Christmas and for cold, solitary winter nights on the couch. This recipe, my friends, is forever.

... except for my new lil' discovery. With one or two substitutions, you can make vegan sausage rolls that taste just as motherlovin' awesome! Toss the cottage cheese and eggs, and mash up a block of silken tofu - that's it. The raw filling has a distinctive whiff of soy, but there's not a trace of it once baked. These are the salty, flaky sauce vessels of your dreams.

If you compare the recipe below to the original version, you'll notice I've made a couple of other tweaks for convenience over the years. Perhaps you will too - the filling seems most forgiving.


Vegan sausage rolls

125g pecans
stale bread to make ~1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 onion
300g silken tofu
1 cup rolled oats
1 Massel beef-style stock cube
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons soy sauce (you can use less - the end result will be less salty and brown, and therefore less resemble a 'real' sausage roll)
ground pepper, to taste
3-4 frozen puff pastry sheets (~25cm square, Borg's is vegan)
water or vegan milk for brushing pastry
sesame seeds

My preferred way of prepping this filling makes maximum use of my food processor. If you don't have one, chopping and mashing will do the job just fine. Start by processing the pecans until they're thoroughly chopped, but not all gone to powder. Tip them into a large mixing bowl, then toss the bread into the food processor and whizz it until it's crumbs. Toss the crumbs in with the pecans and move onto the onion. Chop it into 8 chunks and process them briefly until they've a 'finely chopped' kinda texture. Add them to the mixing bowl, and finally whizz up the tofu until it's a smooth mush. Add it to the mixing bowl, as well as the rest of the filling ingredients: rolled oats, a crumbled-up stock cube, garlic powder, soy sauce and pepper. Stir everything together well.

Now preheat the oven to 200 degrees C and lightly grease a baking tray. Thaw out your puff pastry, and slice each sheet in half so that it makes two rectangles. Spoon the filling down the centre third of each pastry rectangle; lightly brush another third with water or milk and then roll the pastry, starting from the empty third and tucking it into the brushed third. Slice the roll into halves, thirds or quarters as you wish and place them on the baking tray. Make a couple more diagonal cuts in the top of the roll, brush the top with more water/milk and sprinkle over some sesame seeds. Repeat with the remaining filling and pastry. Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes, until they're golden brown and flaky. Serve with lots of sauce - this one comes highly recommended.

102 comments:

  1. Pecans? Curious! And yet, I can see how that would work... I'm lazy about making sausage rolls because I have a cheap and awesome source right around the corner at La Panella. If I get off my bum and try your recipe, I'll let you know how it works!

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  2. Vegan sausage rolls? Well done you. I might just have to try these out on some unsuspecting folks at our Christmas party.

    I cannot remember the last time I ate a sausage roll. Probably childhood.

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  3. I'm intrigued by this recipe. The great thing about vegeterian cooking is that it is so imaginative.

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  4. I was thinking the other day it is too long since I had a good home made sausage roll. Having tried the vegetarian version of these sausage rolls I am pleased to see the vegan version works equally well - must try it some time if it is as good as the original.

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  5. Yum, veggie sausage rolls are pretty much one of my most favourite vegetarian concoctions ever. My mum invented her own Asian-style veggie roll recipe which is crazy delicious, but this one has some ingredients I'd be interested in trying (Pecans! Nom nom nom).

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    1. I made them myself for my friends and they liked them so did my mum.

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  6. Oh yum, they look great! And pecans are like my favourite nuts! I'm definitely going to try these, even though I'm not vegan!

    While I'm here I thought I would tell you I've tagged you in an online game of it. The rules and instructions are on my blog. Apologies if you guys have been tagged before.

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  7. Lisa, La Panella is indeed pretty special (so good! SO CHEAP!) so I can see why making your own isn't high on your to-do list. This recipe might be worth keeping in mind if you want to crank out some party snacks. :-)

    Thanks, Kathryn! I can confirm that they're easy to make into party-sized bites - perfect straight from the oven, and still rather good at room temperature.

    KJ, I would never have expected that you could fake meat this convincingly with rolled oats, pecans and tofu. :-)

    I hope you enjoy it as much as the previous version, Johanna! Try concealing the ingredients from E during the preparation. :-D

    Hayley, I'm likewise rather partial to vegetarian pastries in all their guises! (Perhaps with the exception of the unimelb co-op rolls - a bit tough on the teeth!) What goes into an Asian-style one? It sounds great.

    Thanks, Maria - they're well worth a try. Like I said, I became a fan of these when I wasn't vegetarian either. :-)

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  8. Hi, I found your blog while looking for a vegan sausage roll recipe. I made them today and they are really good! Thank you.

    I also made a link to your recipe on our vegan blog.

    Thanks again. You made a difference to a vegan kids' party at school.

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  9. That is brilliant, Tracy - I'm so glad the kids liked them!

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  10. Gosh these are good Cindy. I made them over the weekend, for our Christmas party. No vegans there, but *everyone* loved them.

    It's about a gazillion years since I ate a sausage roll. But I think these are now going to become one of my party staples. Thanks for posting.

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  11. You're most welcome, Kathryn - I'm very pleased that they worked so well for your party. :-)

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  12. mmm thanks Cindy - just about to make these for Jemma (and me) for tomorrow, and the chinese bbq sauce as well! happy christmas!

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  13. Happy Christmas, Camielle! Hope you like 'em. :-)

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  14. Cindy, these were fantastic! Thanks for the recipe.

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  15. Cool, AVAT! You're welcome. :-)

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  16. Oh my word, they look awesome! I think my husband would adore these.

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  17. Thanks and welcome, Melisser! They're quite easy to put together and worth a shot. :-)

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  18. My friend used to make a sausage roll filling made with mashed beans and all sorts of seasoning, onion etc. Yours one look another spectacular and delish! mmmmmm

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  19. Hi Rojario! I like the idea of mashed beans - I will have to try sneaking in a can of chickpeas sometime. :-)

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  20. Oh, these sound yummy. Definately gonna give 'em a try. Say, for anyone who needs to convert Celsius to Farenheit, entering "200 degrees celsius in farenheit" will give you 392 degrees farenheit. Same with entering "125 grams in ounces" for the pecans or any measurement conversion.

    I've gotta try this recipe. Take care, ~ Les

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  21. Thanks, Les! I convert recipe measurements back the other way, from American or Imperial to metric, using google all the time. :-)

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  22. I made these sausage rolls for the first time for Australia Day and my non vegan friends absolutely adored them! They couldn't believe they were meat free (nor could my husband) and some have since gone on to ask me for the recipe. I also have a ritual of making sausage rolls for the family during rugby union matches and thank goodness I now have a substitute since turning vegan. Thank you so much. This recipe is a keeper.

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  23. Welcome, Gabrielle! I'm glad they suited your crowd so well. :-)

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  24. Love these!! My partner, who loves meat, likes these sausage rolls more than the meat ones and will probably never eat one again. My 3 year old loves them and everyone that has tried them loves them. They are sooo good!!!

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  25. Awesome, Kristy - thanks for stopping by and letting us know. :-)

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  26. Awesome, I shall have to make these. :D

    I agree with KJ - that is why I love veg cooking because it is so imaginative and creative :)

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  27. I just made some of these for lunch after coming across them on your 1000 post.

    They were incredible! I loved sausage rolls when I was a kid but haven't eaten them for well over ten years. I ate them with rosella sauce just for old time's sake! I also added some vegemite. (I just did some googling and can't work out whether vegemite is vegan or not...)

    Thanks for the recipe.

    Saskia

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  28. You're welcome, Saskia! And thanks for mentioning them on your blog. :-)

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  29. Awesome recipe Cindy!!! I have made these 3 times now and they are totally superior to another vegie sausage roll recipe I used to make. That one has been tossed aside now and this one is here to stay...

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  30. :D yay! these look fantastic! I was away at Splendour in the Grass (music festival), and a store advertised vegetarian pecan 'sausage rolls'- I'm so exited to try and make them myself! The ones we had tasted like they had rosemary in them...looking forward to experiment:))

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  31. these were divine!! I'm not vegetarian or vegan and I think they are better than regular sausage rolls. at least you know what's in them..
    my only addition was throwing in a big mushroom..

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  32. Sweet! Thanks for reporting back on 'em, Susie. :-)

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  33. These look and sound amazing!...and I have been craving sausage rolls lately. Will be putting them on my list to try :)

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  34. Stephen and Michelle9:01 pm, May 04, 2011

    Hi found your recipe tonight and we are giving them the go... we are a vegan family and god I love the internet.... I even tried the batter raw just to try it first..even that was pretty good.....the rolls were...absolutely brilliant... now part of our friday nights... thanks you so much

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  35. You're welcome, Stephen and Michelle! Great to know they're so family-friendly. :-)

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  36. These were to DIE for - I made them and even my fussy, fussy niece and nephew went in for seconds without realising they were actually deliciously healthy sausage roll alternatives. Yum! Thank you!. Caitlyn

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  37. Welcome, Caitlyn! I shall have to try tricking kids with them too. :-D

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  38. Hey Cindy and Michael!
    I've been making your sausage rolls for ages now (as you know) and still LOVE them. I went to a vegan christmas pot luck last night and took them and even had one person ask the host "everything here is vegetarian, right?" because they look like the meat version! Everyone loved the rolls and couldn't believe they were vegan. Even fussy 2 and 3 year olds were scoffing them! (I also took a vegan trifle which was a hit!)
    Anyway, the point of me commenting on your post again was to tell you that a friend of mine (whom I have successfully turned her and her 2 young children vegan!) substituted regular, plain ol peanuts for the pecans and said they were just as good! They would be a whole heap cheaper than pecans too! I wonder how they would go with other nuts too...
    Just wanted to share :)

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    1. I have made mine with cashew and pecan nut mix as I ran out of pecans, also omitted the bread crumbs and they turned out super yummy. But I change it around all the time, adding different flavours...they are always a hit!!!

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  39. Tahn - thanks for that tip! I typically have a random assortment of nuts in the cupboard, so will try whatever's there in future batches. :-)

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  40. These are awesome! I posted a pic and a link on my blog:)

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  41. Welcome, Kirsten! Thanks for giving them a mention in your own space. :-)

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  42. Wow, my neighbour made these and they were delicious! My meat-loving husband scoffed a few and had NO IDEA they were meat-free. I was sent the link for the recipe and will making these a fair bit - even my fussy kids ate them :)

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    1. Welcome, DebH! Thanks, I hope they become a regular favourite in your home. :-)

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  43. Someone passed on this recipe to me over a year ago, and they have become a firm favourite. Great for any get-together/catering and for school lunch on heat-up days. I've catered for student films and they've thanked me for going out of my way to make sausage rolls even though I'm vegan, and at first they couldn't believe that these are vegan! So, many thanks for a great recipe.
    I plan to make them for my son's upcoming birthday party and one of the guests is allergic to all nuts - any ideas on what I could replace the pecans with? I'm thinking maybe mushed lentils or kidney beans?

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    1. Hi there - I think mashed up legumes (lentil, kidney beans, chickpeas, white beans...) are an excellent idea. Good luck with your new adaptation!

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  44. Hi Cindy! I'm new to your blog and absolutely love it. Have made both the vegan and vegetarian sausage rolls multiple times and made lots of ppl very happy as a result :) I also love the believe-it-or not broccoli burgers! Just have a quick question about the sausage roll filling: do you think it would work rolled up as baked "meatballs"?

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    1. Welcome, Jaya! You could certainly give it a go - I'd just be mindful of not making the mixture too sloppy, e.g. by reducing the amount of tofu to start with.

      Another vegan meatball option is soy bombs! You can bake or fry them, and we have confirmed that they're nice with spaghetti. :-)

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  45. All I can say is WOW! I just cooked these and I can't believe how good they are. You wouldn't know they were vegan unless someone gave you a heads-up.
    Needless to say, my sons and my man couldn't get enough (nor could I), but I've gone a little nazi-like and banned them from scoffing the lot in one go, lol!
    Thanks so much, these will definitely become a staple for parties and wherever else I can take them. :D

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    1. You're very welcome, Kylie - thanks for reporting back. :-)

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  46. Why haven't I made these? They're so darn easy!

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  47. Hi, I made these today and wrote a review on my blog :) They're amazing, I love that you can't taste the tofu at all. My friend told me about your recipe and said it was the best and I definitely agree!

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    1. Welcome Veganopoulous! Yep, it's good stealthy tofu. :-)

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  48. I have a theory almost anything tastes good in puff pastry. Unfortuanately we have to be gluten free and man have you tried GF pastry bbbbbblllllllllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeergh! Yet to find or make a good one yet so no sausage rolls here : (

    These look so yum though!

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    1. Hi Michele! Yeah, that's definitely a blow. On a couple of occasions we've used or eaten The Pastry Pantry's gluten-free puff - it's not as flaky but we thought it was alright. Also, Vicki Vegan's made a neat gluten-free adaptation of this recipe.

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  49. These are incredibly delicious and very easy to make! I'll be using this recipe frequently and plan to share it with everyone- thank you!!!

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  50. Thanks so much for this recipe!! I've been making an adapted version of it for the past few years now. Super tasty! I recently made it for the Virtual Vegan Potluck along with some sauces, here's my post if you want to check it out http://cookbookaficionado.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/virtual-vegan-potluck-sausage-rolls-with-a-trio-of-dipping-sauces/

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    1. Hi Maggie! I saw and tweeted your post a day earlier, I'm glad the sausage rolls are so popular at your bake sale. :-)

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  51. Love this recipe....delish!!!!

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  52. I made these for a work morning tea, and took GREAT pleasure in telling people (after they had eaten them and said how delish they were) that they were meat-free. And two meat-eaters asked for the recipe. BTW I used walnuts and they were great. Thanks for this recipe - its a winner :) :)

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    1. You're very welcome - glad you had some fun with it at work. :-)

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  53. LOVE!!! oh my gosh these were good! One question - can the mix be frozen (un-cooked)? Or - even after baking them? Thanks

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    1. Welcome, Lee! I often freeze half of the filling, then thaw and roll it at a later date. I think it's possible to freeze them whole but I reckon the pastry's that little bit better if you roll and bake on the day of eating. :-)

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  54. I have made these rolls often and guest have not known that they are vegan. Will continue to tweak with different spices and herbs. I make them in advance, freeze them, thaw them and bake when needed. Cheers Polly

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  55. Hi, can you use firm tofu instead.?

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    1. You can give it a shot! The mixture might turn out a little dry, perhaps try adding a sprinkling of water too.

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  56. You can make the mixture, roll then in the pastry THEN freeze perfectly fine. Thaw before cooking. Don't cook them then feeeze. They turn out beautifully.

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  57. I love this recipe! T didn't have enough tofu, as I was making a double batch, and added 1/2 avocado which surprisingly worked really well.

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  58. I've made this recipe 10+ times now. I love it. I usually double the quantities because I take them to work and they all get snapped up pretty quickly. I have to make sure I have enough to put some in the freezer for later.
    So easy to make. I didn't have onions or bread crumbs tonight so I added fresh garlic, onion powder, quinoa (to bulk it up), chia seeds to help bind, then I split the mix and added siracha sauce to one batch and tomato paste, oregano and paprika to the other. I'll let you know how it goes.

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    1. Welcome, Marian! Your adaptations sound fun - hope they work out well for your crew.

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  59. Love this recipe, I used sunflower seeds because of nut allergies, and added a dash of BBQ sauce. It was delicious and what's more my 3 picky kids loved it :D

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    1. Welcome, Karlie! Glad you and your kids enjoyed a nut-free version. :)

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  60. Excellent recipe - these turned out perfect! Thank you!

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  61. The first time I made these for my husband - with my homemade spelt pastry he said he thought they were "the" best sausage rolls he had ever eaten. He's not a vegan but he LOVED them!
    I sub the oats for quinoa flakes in mine. Everybody loves them thanks for the great recipe 😊

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    1. Welcome, Cara T! Thanks for sharing your adaptation, it's awesome that you and your husband can both enjoy them. :-)

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  62. Would store brought bread crumbs work for this ?
    Can't wait to try your recipe!

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    1. My experience of supermarket-bought breadcrumbs is that they're too sandy and not really absorbent enough for the job. You know what does work, though? A Weetbix, crushed up by hand!

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  63. Wow! These are by far the best sausage rolls I have ever made. This is now my only sausage roll recipe. I have stopped searching for a 'better one' Thank you!! ��

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    1. Welcome, Lu, and thanks for your kind words. :)

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  64. Thank you souch for this recipe! I have made it countless times in the last few months. My daughter adores them too. She is starting school next year and her school is a nut free zone so I've worked out that I can sub a cup of TVP for the pecans and they work brilliantly! Hooray for vegan, school safe recipes! Thank you!

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    1. You're welcome, Rachel Esther! Glad you've developed a school-friendly version for your daughter. :)

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  65. I'm making these sausage rolls for a morning tea next day, luckily my workplace has a pie warmer. Would these rolls still work if I made and pre-cooked the day before, refrigerated overnight and put them in the pie warmer next day? Looking to impress a bunch of Omni's and hoping they won't be overcooked once served or worse, soggy. Very new to puff pastry cooking. Can't wait to try these highly recommended rolls!

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    1. Hi Dave! Sorry I couldn't reply to your comment sooner, it got stuck in moderation for some reason. I'm hoping the pie warmer worked, it sounds like an excellent strategy to me.

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  66. These sausage rolls are THE BEST. I make them all the time for gatherings and my non-vegan friends always request them! I use store-bought breadcrumbs which seem to work perfectly well. My next task is to try and make them gluten free for a coeliac friend. Thanks again for a great recipe!

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    1. Welcome, Jen R! Here's a gluten-free version that a friend of ours developed. Best of luck developing a gluten-free version that works for you, and thanks for your comment. :)

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  67. Been using this recipe for years. Always delicious and an absolute crowd pleaser

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, glad it's a long-time fave for you too. :)

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  68. Every single time I make this recipe for a party at least one (but sometimes five) people ask for the recipe! :D

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    1. Welcome, Anna! I'm so happy to hear that you and your friends all enjoy these so much. :)

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  69. I have been making these for Years and they are hands down the best vegan sausage rolls we have tried. Everyone at gatherings raves and can’t believe they are made of tofu and nuts! Thank you so much

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  70. Hi! I have been making these sausage rolls since 2017! Everyone always LOVES them at party's and never realise they're vegan! Tonight I added to the recipe grated carrot, zucchini (1/4 cup each). I always add a fresh garlic clove too.. so yummy! Thanks heaps for the recipe!

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